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Construction expected to begin on Rex heart tower this fall

Rex Healthcare expects to begin construction of its new 8-story heart tower on its West Raleigh campus this fall.

The hospital recently filed a site plan for the project with the city of Raleigh, and preparation work is now being done on the site.

The project, which includes the 200,000-square-foot tower and a parking deck, is expected to cost more than $200 million and will be Rex’s largest capital project in its history.

The hospital, which is owned by UNC Health Care, is paying for the project with cash reserves, increased patient volumes as a result of its expanded cardiologist practice, and a capital campaign that is expected to become more visible once construction of the tower begins.

Rex will relocate 115 beds from its 433-bed hospital to a new tower that is to be built on a parking lot. The center will consolidate services now offered at seven locations throughout Rex. The tower will be home to Rex’s cardiology practice North Carolina Heart & Vascular, which was created by the merging of Wake Heart & Vascular and Rex Heart & Vascular.

Construction of the tower was able to move ahead after Wake Med dropped its appeal of the state Certificate of Need ruling that had awarded Rex the additional beds. WakeMed had initially argued the new center would be an unnecessary duplication of services that would increase health care costs.

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